


Ghost

by AnotherWriterWhoWrites



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Gen, Ghosts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-26
Updated: 2013-02-26
Packaged: 2017-12-03 17:43:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/700949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherWriterWhoWrites/pseuds/AnotherWriterWhoWrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After his family moved to a new town and a new house Feliciano soon realizes that he and his family aren't alone in the house. There is also a little boy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Feliciano was silent in the car as his father continued to drive. On the other side of the car Lovino was scowling and kicking the back of their father’s seat. Romulus on the other hand was smiling, humming, and ignoring the pain in his back that was starting to settle because of Lovinos kicking.

He glanced in the rearview mirror at his two sons. 

“Come on you two.” he said cheerfully. “We’re starting over in a new town. A whole new life!”

“We had good lives back home.” Lovino snarled. For a ten year old he did a snarl perfectly.

Romulus sighed. “I know you guys are mad. But my job…”

“Your job, your job, your job.” Lovino mimicked. “That’s all you really care about, isn’t it?”

Romulus sighed and stopped talking; instead he continued to stare straight ahead. 

“I know you guys are upset.” Romulus said a few minutes later. “I am too.”

“We had to leave all our friends.” Lovino said. “And we need to leave our school.”

“Your new school is better than your old school.” Romulus said. “And you will get new friends.”

Seeing his brother was about to start yelling at their father Feliciano quickly grabbed his hand to get his attention. 

“Don’t.” he said quietly. “It’s not going to change anything.”

At his brothers pleading look Lovino sighed and bit back his remarks. Feliciano saw his father give him a thankful look in the mirror.

Feliciano sighed again and leaned against the window as he watched the scenery pass by.

They continued to drive in silence for another hour, something that Romulus tried to fill with music from the radio and then trying to get his children to sing along with him. 

One burning look from Lovino quickly made him stop singing and turn off the radio.

Soon enough Romulus stopped the car outside of a house. 

“We’re here.” Romulus said cheerfully. The two brothers shared a look as they climbed out of the car. 

They both stared at the house in silence.

“This…is it?” Lovino said.

Romulus nodded happily. “What do you guys think? I got it cheap.”

“Its two different colors.” Feliciano said. 

Romulus rubbed the back of his head. “Well…you see. There was a fire long ago and they had to rebuild the parts that burnt down. They tried to recreate it completely but…” Romulus shrugged. “That doesn’t matter now. This is our new home.”

A pair of blue eyes watched from the second story through the window at the two boys and man. His eyes narrowed as they walked to the front door

Romulus unlocked the door and held it open for his sons. Feliciano and Lovino walked into the house staring around the broad and open space. 

“You guys get your own bedrooms and bathrooms.” Romulus said. “Who wants the room on the left side and who wants the one on the right?”

“I want the one on the left.” Lovino said immediately. Feliciano shrugged. 

Romulus sighed after watching his sons for a moment. “I’ll bring your bags to your new rooms. Go up and get comfortable please.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Feliciano bounced slightly on his new bed before he lied on it. 

At least his bed sheets were familiar. As well as his books, desk, and art supplies. His father had been quick to set up the rooms to match the ones they had back home.

He rolled his head towards the door when he heard knocking. His father opened the door and stuck his head in. 

“We’re going out for dinner Feli.” Romulus said. “A nice Italian restaurant. Coming?”

Feliciano nodded as he jumped off his bed and followed his father.

The moment the door closed behind them a blonde haired blue eyed boy appeared in the middle of Feliciano’s room wearing part of a school uniform. He sat down on Feliciano’s bed and looked around the room, his eyes narrowing slightly.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“What…the hell…happened here?” Lovino asked.

Romulus didn’t say anything as he looked around their new house. Everything was in shambles. Books and clothes were flung everywhere. Furniture was tipped over and some were in pieces. The sinks and toilets had been stuffed and the water had been turned on causing something that resembled a river through the house. The frames had broken glass and the pictures were in pieces.

Romulus held his sons closer to him. “Both of you don’t go anywhere, I am calling the police.”

A few hours later, talks with the police and after discovering that nothing had gone missing and no evidence had been turned up the boys had been drained of energy.

The entire house was in the same shape. Toys, clothes, pictures, books were thrown around the house. It had taken hours to put everything back in order.

Feliciano tiredly climbed into his bed not bothering to pull his blanket up.

Moments before he fell asleep he was aware of someone pulling his blanket onto him however before he could see who it was he was deep asleep.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Ludwig sighed as he sat onto the carpeted floor watching the youngest son of the new family. 

He wasn’t sorry, that was for sure. He wasn’t sorry for destroying and throwing everything around or for clogging the pipes. 

He sighed as he lay onto the floor. He imagined the carpet was soft and tried to get comfortable. It didn’t really matter. Floor, carpet, bed. Everything was basically the same to him.

He turned on his side and gripped the carpet slightly. It took basically all his concentration to make sure his hand didn’t go through the floor.

He sighed again and stood. Choosing to take the long way he left through the door and walked slowly down the steps, one at a time, until he reached the back door. 

Entering the backyard he quickly spotted the hammock that Romulus had put up. He walked to it and laid down trying to imagine the feel of the fabric that was covered in a blanket.

The view of the sky was nice and there seemed to be a breeze coming that caused the flowers and leaves to sway slightly. 

He wouldn’t sleep, he hadn’t for years, and this night would be no different. 

Ludwig sighed as he tried to pick out the few constellations that he could recognize in the sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Ludwig watched from the top of the stairs with an almost pout on his face. The three of them were cleaning up the house and fixing everything that he had broken.

Didn’t they know how much energy and concentration it took for Ludwig to actually be able to do all that?

He sighed and leaned against the banister. His eyes followed the children. 

The older one was annoying. Very annoying. The younger one was a bit more cuter however.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes before standing. Maybe a trip to the river in the backyard would help him collect his thoughts.

He could just barely remember when he had still been alive going to the river constantly. Sometimes alone and sometimes with his brothers. 

He sighed and sat in the same spot on the grass that he always went to. He recalled the memory of the grass on his legs and the feel of the cool wind on his skin and the heat from the sun. 

It wasn’t as good as the real thing however it was as close as he was ever going to get.

A barking noise brought him out of his thoughts. Opening his eyes he smiled.

Aster, a puppy he had named, had come to see him again. It sat up on his hind legs and licked his face in happiness.

Ludwig smiled fondly as he petted the fur of the dog. Her siblings Blackie and Berlitz soon joined the two of them.

They were never able to leave the presence of the river. The farthest they could ever go is where Ludwig was sitting now. Their furs were still wet from their deaths years ago and if Ludwig concentrated with his hand on them he could still year their yelps and frightened barks as the burlap sack filled with water and brought them to the bottom of the water.

“Those people over there think that they could just move into my house.” Ludwig whispered to the dogs. “They think they can waltz in and do whatever it is that they want. Well I am not going to let them.”

He smirked slightly. “I still have a few tricks up my sleeves.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Ludwig landed carefully on the banister itself of the stairs. He watched the man try to get his sons happy, talking about school and something else that was unimportant.

Ludwig smirked he reached down with complete and total concentration picked up the containers of paint that the man had placed there. Gritting his teeth at the pain that passed through him when he touched it he threw it over the stairs and down onto the floor.

His smirk widened when he heard the cries and curses come from the three people down in the living room. He glanced over the banister and laughed. 

The entire floor, parts of the walls, and boys were all covered in paint. The youngest was crying and rubbing his head where evidently one of the cans had been dropped on his head.

Guilt suddenly tore through him when he saw the tear stained face of the child. He shook his head quickly getting rid of that emotion.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Feliciano sighed as he followed his father through the supermarket. With all the electricity suddenly going out in their house it caused the refrigerator to stop working and therefore making all the food useless.

He hid a smile as Lovino came around the corner and dumped an armful of junk food into the cart before turning and going to get more.

Romulus sighed and didn’t move to take the food out like he usually did. Taking a chance Feliciano quietly slipped a pack of his favorite chips into the cart. Lovino came and threw two bottles of soda as well.

Soon they were at the register. The cashier kept sneaking glances at them and shaking his head. 

“Is there something wrong?” Romulus finally asked.

The guy looked up at them. “You’re the ones that moved into the big house near the river right?”

Romulus nodded. “That’s right.”

The cashier shook his head once more. “Unlucky bastards.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

This time he grinned. “You guys moved into a haunted house.”

Lovino snorted. “Bull.”

“Not bull, truth.” he said finishing the transaction. “Everyone in town knows that it’s haunted and that’s why no one ever wanted to buy it. Your total is sixty-eight thirty seven.”

Romulus handed his credit card wordlessly. 

“It’s really only a matter of time before you leave the house.” the cashier added. “They all do.”

“You’re scaring my children.” Romulus said coldly.

The cashier shrugged as he handed the credit card back. “Have a nice day.”

 _“Ignore him kids.”_ Romulus said in Italian as he gathered the bags. _“He’s just trying to scare you.”_

Feliciano looked back at the cashier thoughtfully as they walked away.  
Feliciano carefully shined the flashlight around the room. With the electricity out the only source of light they had were from candles and flashlights. 

Not quite knowing why he was up in the attic of the house. Cobwebs and dust was settled everywhere. Feliciano coughed slightly as he glanced around the room.

There were a few boxes here and there that Feliciano was sure didn’t belong to them. Perhaps from the previous owners. 

Biting his lip slightly he walked to one and carefully pulled it open. The box was so old that it almost fell apart in his hands.

It was filled with clothes. He tried not to feel disappointed as he pulled some of them out. They almost seemed as if they would fit his own nine year old body. 

They were slightly old fashioned. Something in the way that they were made and the obviousness on how long they weren’t worn for. 

None of the clothes were neatly folded he realized. Almost as if they had been hurriedly thrown into the box before pushed into the attic and then forgotten.

He took out all the clothes to fold them neatly before placing them back. Deciding to try his luck again he walked to another box and opened it. 

Papers filled the box to the brim. They were old and yellowed. Some were ripped in half and were folded. He pulled one that was still intact out to read it.

The top had been scrawled over blocking some of the words however the rest was untouched.

_...shows great potential and is nothing like his troublesome brother. A wonder to have in class and always listens to instructions. All homework is complete and done on time. The only complaint is he almost refuses to work with others and chooses to work alone._

_Math. A._

_History. A._

_English. A._

_Science. A._

_Gym. A._

_Music. A._

It was a report card Feliciano realized. He peered at the top where the date was written.

_June 27, 1910._

He felt his eyes widen. This was from a hundred years ago. 

He eagerly looked through the rest of the papers. Most were report cards and letters of praise from teachers. Some were certificates won through contests. He found a birth certificate hidden on the bottom of the box.

One thing they all had in common however was the name. 

On each one the name had been drawn over or hidden in some way. Some of them were a simple hole.


	3. Chapter 3

Loneliness.

For the past hundred years that was what Ludwig had felt. Complete and utter loneliness.

Yes he had those dogs however they couldn’t hold conversation. And he only had them for the last fifty years. 

He looked longingly at the river. He wanted to throw himself at it. Feel the cold water running down his throat and into his lungs. He wanted to choke from the water and finally close his eyes the final time and moving on.

He looked to the roof. It was high enough for someone to die if they had jumped from the top.

He curled around the ground near the river. If he was still alive the mud would soak through his clothes and his skin and hair. He closed his eyes. 

He covered his mouth to hold back the whimper. Not that it mattered, no one would hear it.

“I just want a friend.” Ludwig whispered. “I just want someone to talk to.”

The dogs crowded around him whining softly. One of them batted at his hand with their head. 

He curled deeper into his body.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Feliciano woke with a start his hand automatically reaching for the flashlight until he realized what had woke him up.

The electricity was back on. His lamp on the night stand had been on before the electricity had gone out and it was shining in his eyes once more.

He shook his head and turned off the light. He tried to lay back into his bed and go back to sleep.

After a few minutes he sat up again. He wasn’t going to get any sleep for the time being.

He walked through the hallway and back to the attic once more flashlight in hand. He had gone through all the boxes but he wanted to look through them once more.

He sat on the floor and reopened the box before pulling out the birth certificate once more. He ran his thumb over the place where the name had been erased. 

Why would someone go to all the trouble of getting rid of the entire name in all the papers?

Feliciano shook his head and stood. He placed the papers back into the box and flashlight in hand he left the attic and on an impulse went to the backyard.

The back lights were on he noticed. He turned the flashlight off and slid it into his pocket as he sat on the last step and closed his eyes.

There was something very weird with this house, something he couldn’t exactly explain. He hoped it wasn’t anything scary, he hated scary things.

A hand touched his shoulder gently.

Feliciano gave a small squeak and whirled around to see his father staring down at him in amusement.

“What are you doing up so late?” Romulus asked. “Come. Back to bed.”

Feliciano nodded and started to follow his father when a sound caused him to turn around and look into the empty yard.

“Feliciano?” his father asked.

He shook his head and entered the house. However he had been certain that he had heard the sound of a child crying.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Ludwig wanted to move on. He wanted to enter the next world and see what was there for him. 

He still didn’t know why exactly his soul refused to move on. Maybe it had something to do with his desire to see his brother Gilbert one last time. Not just see him but rather talk to him as well.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he didn’t remember how he had died.

No matter how hard he tried he could never remember what had caused him to die. He had tried a hundred times and the answer always came up to be the same.

Nothing.

He sat on the roof of the building watching the man, Romulus he believed to be his name, playing a mock game of football. Proper football, not the American version.

All of his memories aside from his death were in perfect condition and he was able to recall when he had played football with his own father and brothers.

His eyes lowered slightly however no tears filled them as they would had he been alive.

He had learned a long time ago that he can no longer cry, bleed, or anything that required liquid or anything coming from his body.

He sighed and laid on his back and simply watched the blue sky pass him. When he extended his hand upwards he was still able to see the clouds through his arm. 

He curled his hand into a fist and closed his eyes and let go of his control. He immediately passed through the roof and fell throughout the rooms. He stopped himself at the first floor; he had no desire to go into the basement. 

He stood and with a single thought he was floating slightly in the air. He went through the walls and entered the kitchen. 

It was a childish thing to do really, trying to sabotage a cooking dinner for the family, but in retrospect he was still a child. He had only been eight years old when he died and had been dead for a good century, he had his moments of maturity however his mindset was still of a child’s.

He peeked at where the meat had been cooking and after glancing around the kitchen he located the vinegar. Concentrating once more he picked up the bottle and poured half of the contents into the pan.

After placing the bottle back he spotted hot sauce. Taking it in his hand he tipped a good portion into the pasta sauce that was slowly boiling on the stove.

Placing the bottle where it belonged he watched with slight interest as the family came into the kitchen moments later. Indifferent eyes watched as the father placed the food on plates and then on the table where his sons were sitting. 

The older one, Lovino he believed to be called, immediately started to eat and almost as fast spit out the food he had placed in his mouth before cursing loudly.

Ludwig leaned against the wall watching the small amount of chaos unfold in front of him. He slid his hands into his pockets. 

Suddenly the younger one, Feliciano he guessed, looked around the kitchen and his eyes fell onto where Ludwig stood.

Ludwig started slightly as Feliciano’s eyes didn’t leave him and instead he tilted his head to the side. 

“What are you doing here?” Feliciano asked unnoticed by either of his screaming brother or his father trying to calm the child down.

Ludwig looked around the room trying to find who Feliciano was talking to. The only other occupants were his family and Ludwig.

He refused to let hope enter his heart. “Are…are you talking to me?” Ludwig asked pointing at his chest.

Feliciano nodded. “Who else would I be talking to?”

His hands were shaking and Ludwig tried to get his voice to work once more. 

“I…I…” he stammered before he disappeared. 

“Wait.” Feliciano said jumping out of his seat. He touched the wall where Ludwig had stood. 

“Feliciano? What are you doing?” Romulus asked.

Feliciano pressed his hand against the wall once more before turning away and said “Nothing.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Feliciano carefully took his steps down the stairs into the kitchen once more, flashlight in hand once more.

He shined around the room once before he cleared his throat.

“Hello? Boy?” Feliciano said softly. “Are you still here? Can you talk to me?”

Ludwig’s lips curled into a small smile as he stepped out from the shadows. 

“You could have just called me from your room.” Ludwig said to the suddenly pale boy in front of him. “I would have heard you either way.”

“Why are you in my house?” Feliciano asked trying to keep his body from shaking.

Ludwig laughed softly. “This is my house. I was born here and I’m pretty sure I died here.”

“Died here?” Feliciano repeated.

Ludwig’s smiled widened as he levitated himself a few feet off the ground. “I’m a ghost Feliciano Vargas.”

“And you’re the one who has been doing all those weird things.” Feliciano said. 

Ludwig nodded. “I get bored after having nothing to do after a century.”

“A century.” Feliciano repeated once more. His eyes went upwards towards the ceiling. “All those things in the attic. Those are, were, yours?”

Ludwig nodded. “Have no idea who put them there or anything though.”

Feliciano leaned in eagerly. “What’s your name?”

Ludwig laughed again. “My name is Ludwig.”

“Ludwig.” Feliciano said. He stepped forward and extended his hand towards the other. Ludwig didn’t even flinch when Feliciano’s hand went through him. 

“A ghost.” Feliciano said quietly. “For one hundred years. It must have been lonely.”

“You have no idea.” Ludwig said. “You’re the first person that I can talk to.”

“If I could hug you I would.” Feliciano said. He tilted his head to the side and then his eyes lightened. “I’ll be your friend!”

“…pardon?”

“I’ll be your friend.” Feliciano repeated. “It’s the best that I can do.”

Ludwig shook his head. “There is no need for you to do that.”

“But I want to.” Feliciano insisted. “No one should ever feel lonely.”

“Feliciano.” Ludwig said slowly. “I’m dead.”

“So?” Feliciano asked. “That’s not going to stop me.”

“You are…by far the most interesting person I think I have ever known.” Ludwig said before smiling. “Alright. We’ll be friends.”


	4. Chapter 4

Feliciano whimpered as the thunderstorm continued raging through the town causing the windows to shake in their frames. He pulled his blanket over his head 

As thunder continued to rage outside Feliciano gave another cry. 

“Ludwig.” Feliciano whimpered.

“What’s wrong?” a familiar voice asked suddenly.

Feliciano allowed some of the blanket to slide off of his head as he saw Ludwig floating in the air looking down at him.

“The thunder.” Feliciano whimpered. “It sounds scary.”

Ludwig tilted his head to the side. “It’s just thunder, it can’t hurt you.”

“But” Feliciano started to say when another clap of thunder lit the skies behind his curtains. With another yell he immediately brought the blanket over his head.

He heard Ludwig sigh before the covers were pulled from his head. Glancing at Ludwig he saw he was sitting on the bed next to Feliciano.

“You don’t need to be afraid.” Ludwig said. “I’ll protect you if anything.”

Feliciano held out his pinky finger. “Promise?”

Ludwig rolled his eyes before he extended his own. Even though he wrapped his own around Felicianos neither one of them were able to feel anything. “Promise. Now go to sleep.”

Feliciano patted the side of the bed next to him. “You too! Sleep with me.”

Ludwig sighed before he lay down next to Feliciano. “I can’t sleep.”

Feliciano blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“Just what I said.” Ludwig said. “I cannot go to sleep.”

“Why?”

Ludwig shrugged. “Maybe because I’m dead and I don’t require anything that people like you need.”

“But not sleeping for a century.” Feliciano said. “Not talking with anyone for a century. That’s…that’s just so…sad.”

Ludwig turned onto his stomach. “I got used to it around eighty years ago.”

Feliciano also turned onto his stomach and placing his elbows on the bed balanced his head in his hands before he asked “Why are you a ghost?”

“Well I did die.” Ludwig said.

Feliciano shook his head. “But why didn’t you go to heaven?”

Ludwig shrugged once more. “I have no idea. Maybe because I couldn’t let go of something.”

“What?”

“I have no idea. I think it has something to do with my brother.” he said. 

“You had a brother?” Feliciano asked.

“I had three.” Ludwig said. “And a sister.”

Felicianos eyes widened. “Four siblings?”

Ludwig nodded. “And quite a few cousins. Seven if memory holds me right.”

“Were all of you close?” Feliciano asked.

Ludwig nodded once more. “Very. However I was the closest with my brother Gilbert. He was the third child of our parents.”

“Tell me about them.” Feliciano prompted.

“Well first of my siblings is Roderich.” Ludwig said. “He loved playing any musical instruments, much to our parents delights. Then Vash who was very protective over the younger ones. My brother Gilbert was also very protective and a bit wild, much to my parents chagrin. And the youngest was Lilia who was very quiet and for lack of a better word cute.”

“Your cousins?”

“Lucas and Clara were siblings and both were teenagers. Clara always made sure to bring all of us chocolate and Lucas even though he liked to be alone he was protective over all of us.”

“Then there is Mathias, Nikolai, and Berwald. They were siblings. The other part of the family was Ingi and Tino.” he said. “Nikolai loved to tell us stories which Mathias acted out and Berwald would always make something for us. Tino always brought his puppy with him and let us play with him and Ingi liked to throw us in the air.”

“It’s a lot more fun than it sounds like.” Ludwig added at the sight of Feliciano’s widened eyes.

He copied Feliciano’s pose as he placed his elbows on the bed and his head in his hands. “I still remember whenever all of us would get together we would always have so much fun. Mathias liked to bully some of us sometime, little things really, but most of the others never let him go too far.”

He smiled slightly. “Berwald was always able to give him one look and he nearly ran back home.”

“What about your parents?” Feliciano asked.

“What about them?”

“Tell me about them.”

Ludwig smiled once more. “My father, whose name was Alvar, looked just like me only with longer hair. He was strict and never showed any emotions. He always had high expectations for all of us and made sure we knew that. He…he also sometimes used corporal punishment on us.”

Felicianos eyes widened once more. “He hit you?”

Ludwig quickly shook his head. “He used a paddle more often than not. Or sometimes he would use his belt. But only when we had to be punished because of something we did. It was either that or we had to be grounded for a month.”

“I think I would take the grounding.” Feliciano said. 

Ludwig smiled. “Grounded for a month or some pain and not being able to sit for a day? We always took the second option, it was easier.”

“And your mother?”

“My mother was my father’s exact opposite.” Ludwig said. “She looked exactly as Gilbert only with longer hair as well. Energetic and adventurous. She never wanted to punish any of us regardless of what we had ever done and every time our father did she almost immediately always came in and spoiled us slightly. She knew why our father did it however that didn’t change the fact that she didn’t like it.”

Ludwigs smile waned slightly although he tried to keep it on his face. “Mother always made the best sweets and if one of us had brought home a good report card she would make our favorite dinner. She knew exactly how we liked it.”

“Father liked to take all my siblings and I into the forest and wilderness to watch the animals and tell us about life in general. He actually started to teach all of us how to use bows and arrows and hand-to-hand combat. Lilia even though she didn’t look like it she was able to pack a punch. Once at school when a boy had been making fun of her she had knocked him down with a single punch. Father wasn’t sure to punish her for it or not.”

The smile faded then and his lower lip was shaking lightly. “Roderich always was ready to play any musical instrument that would help soothe any of us when we couldn’t sleep or we were sick. Vash was always ready to run through the fields with all of us or take us anywhere. Gilbert was always ready to get into some sort of trouble with you and sometimes even taking the blame himself even if you had done it. Lilia…” his voice started to crack slightly. “Lilia always had a way to make you smile and those smiles made you feel like the most important person in the world.”

He was crying Feliciano realized. If he had been able to cry he would have been right now. Feliciano tried to place his arm around Ludwigs back however his arm went through Ludwigs body.

“Nikolai always told the best stories.” he continued. “The way he had with words made everything he said come to life. Mathias always tried to make us smile and laugh even if he would end up hurt. Berwald always made sure to know which animals we liked the most so that when he carved us a gift he knew that we would like it.”

“Ludwig.” Feliciano whispered. “I’m sorry I brought this up.”

Ludwig shook his head. “It has nothing to do with you bringing this up. It’s…it’s just…it’s just that I…I really, really miss them.” he choked out. His hands curled into fists. “I miss all of them. I don’t even know where any of them are. If any of them are still alive. Married. Children. Grandchildren. I don’t know anything.”

Ludwig disappeared suddenly.

Feliciano sat up in his bed immediately looking around the room. “Ludwig? Ludwig!”

There was no answer.

“Ludwig, come back.”

No answer.

Feliciano leaned back into his pillows and head board looking around the room. 

He stayed awake the entire night for Ludwig to come back.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Feliciano stop falling asleep in your eggs.” Romulus said. 

Feliciano blearily opened his eyes and found himself staring at his scrambled eggs merely centimeters away from his face.

“Sorry dad.” Feliciano murmured as he pushed his plate away.

“Storm was keeping you up?” Romulus asked.

Feliciano thought back to the talk he had had with Ludwig. “Something like that.”

“You shouldn’t have waited for me.”

Feliciano started in his seat and looked to the side where the familiar voice was coming from.

Ludwig was sitting on the edge of the table staring down at him.

“I wasn’t going to come back, I needed some time to myself.” Ludwig said. “You would think that after a century of being alone I wouldn’t need any more time to myself but no.”

“I was going to wait either way.” Feliciano said.

“What was that Feliciano?” Romulus asked.

“Nothing dad.” Feliciano said to Romulus before he turned back to Ludwig. “I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“Make who upset?” Romulus asked at the same time Ludwig said “You didn’t.”

“Who the hell are you talking to?” Lovino asked. 

“A friend.” Feliciano said. 

“Ah.” Romulus said. “An imaginary friend.”

“Ludwig isn’t imaginary.” Feliciano protested.

“Mm hmm.” Romulus said going back to the stove.

Ludwig rolled his eyes. “An imaginary friend sounds better than a ghost that has been haunting this house for a century. Just let them think that.”

“Would, Ludwig was it?, like to join us for breakfast?” Romulus asked holding up the pan containing the eggs.

“I would if I was able to eat.” Ludwig remarked. He turned to Feliciano and said “I’ll be waiting in the backyard if you want to hang out.” 

Feliciano watched as Ludwig went through the closed door. 

“Well is he or isn’t he?” Romulus asked. 

Feliciano glanced at the door once more. “No he isn’t.”


	5. Chapter 5

“So tell me more about yourself.” Feliciano said. Ludwig was floating in the air with his legs crossed as he watched Feliciano climb the tree.

“There’s not really that much to tell about. I lived a few years, died, and now I’m here.”

“Well what happened in between all that?” Feliciano asked as he hoisted himself on a branch. “I mean you’ve been here for a hundred years!”

Ludwig licked his lips in thought. “Well what do you want to know?”

“Well, are you tied to the house or can you go to other places?” Feliciano asked.

“I can go wherever I want. I just hate not being able to do anything with other people so I just stay here most of the time.” Ludwig said. “But for certain things I left the house.”

“Like what?”

Ludwig stretched his arms. “I could hear practically everything that goes on here so when I hear a commotion I would come out to see what it was. And trust me; I saw all the historic events.”

“Like which ones?”

Ludwig looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well, I saw and heard the women’s protest. When America entered the Great War, that’s what World War I was called. I think they call the next part the roaring twenties. Then of course the Great Depression. World War II. All of the Cold War and everything up to that leading to here.”

Feliciano had a blank face. “You lost me at women’s protests.”

Ludwig laughed. “Sorry about that. I’ve sat in middle schools, high schools, and college lectures so I know a lot of things you wouldn’t yet.”

“You still went to school?” Ludwig asked incredulously.

“Well, yeah.” Ludwig said. “After a hundred years I did get bored and I always loved learning. I used to get a lot of good grades when I was alive. I stopped going outside a while ago though, I started to hate going outside now.”

Feliciano suddenly remembered the boxes in the attic. “I know, I saw some of your report cards in the attic. You know about it right?”

“You mean the boxes there, yes I know about them I already told you that.” Ludwig said. 

“How did they get there?”

“My family most likely put them there. We had a second house where we kept about half of our things.” Ludwig said. “I never really looked in them.”

“I did.” Feliciano said. “There was a lot of clothes and papers in there. Pictures too I think.”

“Wonder who put it there.” Ludwig said. 

“Mm.” Feliciano said leaning against the tree trunk and looking towards the sky. “Hey, Ludwig?”

“Yes?” Ludwig asked as he sat on the branch next to Feliciano.

Feliciano looked at him. “What was your first memory?”

“My first memory of what?”

“Being a ghost.” Feliciano said. “What’s your first memory of being a ghost?”

Ludwig shifted slightly as he uncrossed and re-crossed his legs. 

“Waking up as a ghost.” Ludwig said. “Not that I noticed it at first.”

“What was that like?” Feliciano asked excitedly. 

Ludwig hesitated.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
 _When Ludwig opened his eyes he wasn’t sure where he was. He sat up groaning and rubbing his head._

_“Where am I?” he asked looking around. “What happened?”_

_He stood on his feet and took a shaky step. Pausing for a moment he started forward._

_“I’m in the cellar.” he said biting his lip. “Father is going to be very angry, he always told us to stay out of the cellar.”_

_He walked slowly, as to not agitate his head which felt as if it was spinning, towards the stairs. It seemed that he was walking softer than he had thought; neither the floors nor stairs creaked under his weight._

_When he tried to open the door however he found the food tightly closed._

_“What the hell?” he said out loud, a rare small curse coming out of his mouth. He tugged at the door once more to make sure._

_He frowned slightly and came down from the stairs. Hands at his hips he looked around the cellar once more._

_“Gilbert once told me that there is a hole somewhere that we can sneak in from.” he said. He placed his hand on the wall as he walked forward._

_After walking for a few moments his fingers dipped slightly. Smiling lightly his hands picked at the area until the small stones fell away._

_“Gilbert.” he sighed shaking his head. “You manage to make an entrance and a hiding place yet you fail practically all of your classes.”_

_When the hole was big enough Ludwig crawled through it. Standing, he stretched his arms towards the sky breathing in the fresh air._

_A sobbing voice brought him out of his daze. He looked to his right to see his mother._

_His mother on her knees sobbing with his father embracing her._

_“Mother? Father?” Ludwig asked bringing his arms down and starting towards them. “What’s wrong?”_

_There was no answer, is anything his mother started to cry harder._

_“No, no.” his mother Maria was moaning, rocking back and forth in his fathers arms. “Are you sure? He could be in the woods. He could…He could…”_

_“No.” his father Alvar said shaking his head. “He can’t.”_

_His mother let out a scream as she continued to cry and clutch to his father._

_“Mother, what’s wrong?” Ludwig asked alarmed. He reached his parents. “Father, why is mother crying?”_

_“Ludwig.” Maria whispered. “Ludwig.”_

_Relief went through him. “I’m right here mother, I’m right here.”_

_Both his parents continued to pay him no attention._

_“Why are you ignoring me?” Ludwig cried. “I’m right here! Mother! Father! I’m okay!”_

_“We can still have a funeral.” Alvar said. “There might be no body but there will be a marker.”_

_“A funeral for who?” Ludwig asked. “Who died?”_

_Maria nodded as she pulled out a handkerchief and used it to wipe her face clean. She nodded again as she stood with Alvars help and they started towards the car, never sparing Ludwig a single glance._

_“What’s going on?” Ludwig yelled. “What did I do that you’re ignoring me?” He almost gave a glare at their retreating backs. “Is it because I went to the cellar even though you told me not to? You both know that Gilbert has done worse things!”_

_Still they ignored him._

_Ludwig felt his hands start to shake and blinked back tears he knew would come. “Why are you ignoring me?” he whispered._

_He ran towards them with his arm extended. “Wait!”_

_He stopped however when he realized that he could see through his arm. The image of his arm was still there however it was see through._

_“What is this?” he whispered turning his arm over. “What the hell is this!”_

_His curse went unnoticed as he looked at his entire body for the first time since he had awakened. Just like his arm, he was able to see through all of his body._

_He felt a cold drop down the back of his neck. He slowly turned to look at the house._

_Half of it was gone. Burned away with the ruins on the ground._

_Gone._

_“What the hell is this?” Ludwig whispered. His voice rose until he was screaming. “What the hell is going on?”_

_Ludwig was sobbing and dry heaving, although no tears or anything came out. “No. No, no, no, no, no!”_

_“This can’t be. This can’t be!” Ludwig screamed falling to the ground and trying to get away from the house. “I can’t be…I can’t be…”_  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“It was very weird.” Ludwig finally said.

“Just weird?”

Ludwig looked towards the clouds in the sky and slid his hands into his pockets. 

“Yeah. It was very weird.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“What are you trying to paint?” Ludwig asked as he reclined on Felicianos bed watching as Feliciano sorted his paints. 

“I’m thinking either the house or us.” Feliciano said. He carefully placed the jars of paint together and picked up his brush. 

“Your dad is going to wonder where you got my image, and I don’t think he’ll believe that I’m a ghost.” Ludwig said. 

“Hey.” a new voice said from the doorway. Ludwig and Feliciano looked up to see Lovino standing in the doorway. 

“The old man is going to get some Chinese food.” Lovino said. “You want something?”

“The usual please.” Feliciano said. 

Lovino nodded. “And what about your friend?”

Both Feliciano and Ludwig froze. 

“What?” Feliciano finally asked. 

“Your friend.” Lovino said nodding towards Ludwig who was now sitting on the bed. “And you know you’re supposed to tell dad whenever we have friends over.”

Feliciano and Ludwig shared a look. 

“Can…can you see me?” Ludwig finally asked.

Lovino rolled his eyes. “Of course I can see you, your right there in front of me.”


	6. Chapter 6

“You can’t stay in there forever fratello.” Feliciano said as he sat on the floor and leaned against the wall next to his brother’s room. 

“Yes I can!” came his brother’s voice.

Feliciano sighed. “No you can’t, there’s no food in there.”

“I have my secret stash of snacks!”

Ludwig looked at Feliciano. “He has a secret stash of snacks?”

“Looks like it.” Feliciano said. He brought his hand up and knocked on the wall. “Come out brother and we’ll talk about this.”

“There’s no such thing! There is nothing to talk about! I didn’t see any ghost!” his brother yelled. 

“Do you want me to go in there and scare him out?” Ludwig asked. 

Feliciano shook his head. “No scaring. But if he doesn’t come out in a few minutes can you go in there and talk with him?”

“Sure.” Ludwig said placing his hands into his pockets. “Can’t guarantee that he’ll listen though.”

“I know you’re still there! Go away!” Lovino yelled.

“Ludwig and I aren’t going anywhere.” Feliciano said. “Not until we can talk to you.”

“There is no Ludwig!” Lovino screeched. “Go away!”

Ludwig sighed, rolled his eyes, and brought himself into the air. “As much fun as listening about the proof of my existence is I am getting tired of this. Lovino.” he called out. “I’m going to come in through the door. Don’t get scared.”

With that he brought himself through the door. Once he was through the door he landed on the floor and placed his hands behind his back, waiting for Lovino to notice him there.

Lovino was on his bed with his blankets and pillows covering him and his head tightly. 

“Lovino.” Ludwig said slowly. 

The lump in the bed that was Lovino Vargas jolted and dug the pillows and blanket around him tighter.

“Lovino I have been here for a hundred years and I know patience.” Ludwig said. “I don’t need food, sleep, or anything else that you need. You will have to come out eventually and I can wait.”

He heard Lovino give a whimper. 

“I don’t want to but I can very easily get rid of those pillows and blankets.” Ludwig said. “I would rather if you took everything off by yourself. However like I said, I can wait.”

Slowly, very slowly, Lovino first lifted the pillows that were covering him and pushed them to the side. Ludwig waited patiently as Lovino then pulled the blanket off and slid out of the bed. When he saw Ludwig standing there his body began to shake.

“You’re a…you’re a…you’re a…” Lovino stammered.

“A ghost.” Ludwig finished. “Yes, I am.”

Lovino gave a small moan. “That’s not possible.”

“Apparently it is since I am still here.” Ludwig said. “Can I open the door for your brother?”

Slowly and not taking his eyes off of Ludwig Lovino nodded. 

Shaking his head in amusement, and staying on the ground so Lovino would start screaming once more, Ludwig went to the door and concentrating he was able to loosely take a hold on the doorknob and turned it so Feliciano was able to come in to the room.

“Are you alright fratello?” Feliciano asked as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. 

“If seeing a ghost is normal then yeah, I’m okay.” Lovino said his eyes still on Ludwig.

“I’m not going to do anything.” Ludwig said. “You can stop watching me so closely.”

“What the hell is going on?” Lovino demanded. 

Ludwig and Feliciano shared a look. 

“You want to tell him or should I?” Ludwig asked as he brought himself back into the air once more.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Lovino was pacing up and down the room. 

“So let me get this right.” he said. “He’s a ghost.” He said nodding to Ludwig. “He’s been here for a hundred years. And he’s trapped here. And you don’t know why.”

“That sounds about right.” Ludwig said as he floated around the room. “Any questions?”

“Stop floating around! You’re giving me a headache.” Lovino snapped at Ludwig who shrugged and dropped himself onto Lovino’s bed. 

“You can help us Lovino.” Feliciano said. “I want to help Ludwig move on from here. You can help!”

“And how the hell do you expect me to do that?” Lovino demanded. “Call a priest to have an exorcism done?”

“An exorcism is not needed.” Ludwig said as he crossed his legs. “I am a bit more curious as to how you can see me now because you weren’t able to before.”

“Lovino! Feliciano! Dinner!” Romulus called up to the room. They heard him walking up the stairs and open the door to Lovino’s bedroom. “It’s time for dinner you two.”

“Can you see anyone else in here?” Lovino asked suddenly.

Romulus blinked in surprise before he gave a small smile. “I see you and Feliciano. Unless Feliciano’s imaginary friend is in here too.”

“Another question to my existence.” Ludwig sighed as he brought himself into the air once more. “Enjoy dinner you two, I will be waiting in the backyard.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Ludwig sat close to the river and watched the sky start to change from light to dark. Aster was on his lap and one of his hands was on Blackie and the other on Berlitz. 

He smiled at them. “Sorry I haven’t been around you guys, turns out the boys that live in the house now can see me. It’s not the same as human contact, considering I can’t even touch them, but at least I’m talking with them. It’s better than nothing.”

He brought his hand up to his eyes and flexed it slightly before bringing it into a fist. He wasn’t going to admit it however he was feeling weaker than he had in a lifetime. It took a lot more energy to move something, like the doorknob in Lovino’s bedroom, and to even bring himself onto the ground. 

Floating in the air was now natural to him, more natural to him than walking or keeping his feet on the ground, bringing himself into the air and floating and flying around was better, more easier, and natural to him and he always had to concentrate to make sure he didn’t float off somewhere and to make sure he stayed in one place.

The same went to staying in one place. He was always watching himself to make sure he didn’t go through everything or anything. And now he had to give more energy to keep himself in place and to make sure where he was he didn’t go through it and end up on the other side of the world.

“Ludwig!”

Ludwig looked over his shoulder to see Feliciano and Lovino coming towards him. He brought his hand up.

“Hey.” he said. Aster lifted her head from his lap to look at their new companions for a moment before she placed her head on Ludwig’s lap once more.

“Meet Aster.” he motioned with his head to the dog on his lap. “Blackie.” the dog to his left. “And Berlitz.” the dog to his right.

“They’re so cute.” Feliciano said. He reached towards Blackie to put him however his hand went through the dog. 

“Why are they ghosts?” Lovino said sitting on the grass. “How did they become ghosts?”

“The same way I did.” Ludwig said. “By dying.”

“How did they die?” Feliciano asked as he sat down as well. 

Ludwig looked towards the river they were sitting in front of. “Let’s just say some men aren’t the most kind to dogs.”

Feliciano and Lovino froze and looked at the dogs that seemed for all the world as if they were simply sleeping next to them.

“I asked our dad something.” Feliciano said, seemingly eager to change the subject. “We asked him about when he bought the house and the person who had sold it to him.”

“And?” Ludwig asked. 

“We also asked him the name of the person.” Lovino said. “He never met with him but he did speak with the guy on the phone.”

“He said his name was Gilbert Beilschmidt.” Feliciano said. 

Ludwig froze. “That’s my brother’s name.” he whispered.

“Your brother?” Lovino asked. “He’s still alive?”

“Apparently yes.” Ludwig said. He took in a few deep breaths. “Even though he must be well over a hundred.”

Lovino gave a whistle. “Do you think he could help us?”

Ludwig shrugged. “I don’t know. But…”

“But…?” Feliciano encouraged. 

“I would like to see him.” Ludwig said quietly. “Even if he couldn’t see me I would like to see him.”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Lovino was breathless as he ran into Feliciano’s room and quickly closed the door behind him, holding a folder to his chest tightly.

“Found something that I think we can use.” he said triumphantly, brandishing the folder like a medal. 

Both Ludwig and Feliciano looked up at him. 

“What is that?” Ludwig asked.

“Found it in dad’s office.” Lovino said sitting on the bed and opening the folder. “He had some information about this Gilbert, including something that I think is his address.”

Feliciano took a seat next to Lovino as Ludwig floated above them. 

“Dad had his office open?” Feliciano asked.

Lovino shook his head. “I learned how to pick a lock from our cousin. It was easy to get this one.”

“Lovino.” Feliciano said in a scolding tone. “That’s not nice.”

Lovino rolled his eyes. “Don’t care. Anyway.” he said pulling a paper out and looking at it. “I think this is the address and if it is, I looked this up on the internet, it’s about a ten minute walk from here.”

Ludwig felt a thrill go through him. “That close? I can get there in five minutes tonight.”

“You mean that we can get there in ten minutes tomorrow.” Feliciano corrected. “We are going with you.”

“We’ll go tomorrow.” Lovino said nodding. “Right after breakfast.”

Ludwig sighed. “You guys don’t have to.”

“Well who else is going to ask the questions that you want to know?” Lovino demanded. “What the hell is wrong with you? Or did being dead for a hundred years make you stupid?”

“Fratello.” Feliciano said scolding once more. “But he’s right Ludwig. We’re going with you whether you want it or not. We really want to go with you.”

“But you don’t-” Ludwig stared.

“We do.” Feliciano said. “What else are friends for?”


	7. Chapter 7

“I still have no idea if we’re going in the right direction or not.” Lovino announced as they walked down the street.

Ludwig refrained from rolling his eyes. “We are. I know which way we are going.”

“I still can’t believe that papa let us go by ourselves.” Feliciano said. “He never let us do that back home.”

Ludwig looked slightly sheepish. “I…might have had something to do with that.” he admitted.

The brothers looked at him. “You possessed him?” Lovino asked. 

Ludwig shook his head. “Influenced him. Took a lot of energy and I’m not sure that I can do that again. Ever.”

“You can influence people?” Lovino asked. “That sounds very cool.”

Ludwig grinned. “Whenever I can do it, yeah it is.”

“Why can’t you do it again?” Feliciano asked.

“To influence someone takes a lot of energy, sometimes energy that you don’t have.” Ludwig explained. “Which is why I’m walking right now instead of floating. I used energy that I didn’t have in order to make your father agree to let you guys go and right now I’m out of energy.”

“Too bad.” Lovino said looking around once more. “We might have needed it to make your brother believe us.”

“The ghost of his dead brother that has been dead for about a hundred years coming with two kids he has never seen before in his life and their father bought the house where his little brother had died in.” Ludwig said. “I have no clue on why he shouldn’t believe it. You turn left here.”

Feliciano chuckled lightly as they turned. “What about possession?” he asked. “Can you do it?”

“No.” Ludwig said firmly. “I have tried that many times and each time all I got was a huge headache and a lot of pain. The best that I can explain it is that every human has a shield around them that stops ghosts from possessing them no matter what.”

“Even if someone gives you permission?” Lovino asked. 

Ludwig shrugged. “That part I don’t know, I was never able to talk to someone, let alone give me permission to possess their body.”

Feliciano’s smile widened. “Maybe we can try it later.”

Ludwig didn’t look at either of them. “Maybe.” 

They reached the apartment building. Luckily someone had been leaving the building and had held the door open for the children to quickly go through. 

“Which floor again?” Feliciano asked his brother.

Lovino squinted at the piece of paper in his hands were he had scribbled the apartment. “Hold on, I can’t read my handwriting. Apartment 4B.”

“Fourth floor.” Ludwig said clasping his hands together. 

“Nervous?” Feliciano asked as they entered the elevator. Lovino pushed the button for the fourth floor. 

“A little.” Ludwig admitted. “For reasons I don’t understand. I mean it’s not like he can see me or anything.”

“But you’re still going to see your brother.” Lovino said. “When was the last time you saw him anyway?”

“I think the day I died.” Ludwig answered. “He never came back to the house.”

The bell gave a small ding as it opened its doors. Silently the three of them walked through the hallway until they reached 4B.

Taking a deep breath Feliciano rang the doorbell once.

A few moments passed without an answer.

“Should I try again?” he asked looking to his brother and Ludwig.

At Lovino’s shrug Feliciano rang the doorbell again.

“I’m coming! I’m coming!” a voice called out.

When the door opened Ludwig took in a sharp breath and his eyes widened. 

“Brother.” he whispered. “Gilbert.”

The man that had opened the door had sharp white hair and red eyes that were glaring at Feliciano and Lovino. He stood tall and thin however there was a cane firmly grasped in his right hand. 

“What do you want?” Gilbert asked.

Feliciano swallowed as he glanced at his brother.

“Mr.…Beilschmidt.” Feliciano said. “My name is Feliciano Vargas and this is my brother Lovino. Our father bought your house.”

“So what?” Gilbert asked.

“Well…we didn’t just get your house.” Feliciano said. “We got something else.”

Gilbert sighed. “Can you just stop stalling and tell me what you want to tell me so you can leave?”

“We found the ghost of your dead brother Ludwig.” Lovino said. At Feliciano’s amazed look he said “Well you weren’t going to tell him any time soon.”

Gilbert froze for a moment before his eyes narrowed. “Nice try boys. I don’t know where you found out about my brother but you’re not going to fool me into believing something like that. Now if you’ll excuse me.” he made a move to go back into his apartment.

“No wait!” Feliciano said. “We’re telling the truth! Ludwig is here and we need your help with this! He can’t move on and we think that you might be able to help him!”

Gilbert rolled his eyes. “My brother has been dead for years. Now leave.”

With that he reentered his apartment and firmly closed the door behind him. 

Lovino stepped forward and pounded as hard as he was able to on the door. “Hold on! We weren’t finished with you!”

“If you don’t leave right now I am calling the police.” they heard Gilbert say behind the door.

Feliciano turned to Ludwig. “Tell us something to tell him! Something that only you would know!”

Ludwig thought for a moment. “I think…the report card. The one where he had failed practically all of his classes.”

“Ludwig is telling us about a report card!” Lovino yelled at the door. “The one where he said that you failed practically all of your classes!”

“He was so worried about what mother and father were going to say, or rather what father was going to do , that he was almost crying. I had convinced him to take my report card instead. All we had to do was change around the names with some ink and water.”

Feliciano quickly repeated everything. He wringed his hands together when there was no answer from behind the door. 

“Mother and father still found out though. They had become suspicious when after perfect report cards I brought home a bad one and you suddenly had perfect marks. They went to the school and found out what happened.”

Feliciano repeated this once more.

Ludwig let out a dry chuckle. “Neither he nor I were able to sit on a chair, or anywhere really, properly for a month I think.”

“What else?” Lovino demanded. 

Ludwig cracked a small smile. “Get ready to repeat a lot because I remember a lot of things that we can use.”

“There was that time when he had snuck out of the house to meet with some of his friends. He came home at nearly two in the morning stinking of alcohol and I still don’t know what. I had covered for him and told mother and father that he had been with me the entire night.”

“Every time mother would make cookies, he would sneak into the kitchen and steal as many as he was able to. And he had always shared them with me. Not Vash. Not Roderich. Not Lilia. Me.”

Feliciano and Lovino were repeating everything that they were able to.

There was still no answer from behind the door. 

“What more do you want old man?” Lovino groaned. “You want to ask something else about something else?”

“On my brothers fourth birthday.” Gilbert said quietly from behind the door. “Our father followed the family tradition of giving the child an iron cross necklace. I took it from my brother to carve something on the back of it. What did I carve?”

Ludwig smiled and when he spoke his voice was slightly cracked. “I remember that day. I nearly had a heart attack when I couldn’t find it. He had carved ‘Gott mit uns’ on the back of it. God is with us.”

Feliciano quietly repeated.

Slowly the door reopened to show Gilberts face, his red eyes were slightly red. 

“Come in.” he said quietly opened the door wider to allow the children to enter the apartment.

“You know I’m still having trouble believing you.” Gilbert said, eyeing Feliciano and Lovino as they sat on the pair of chairs.

“We know.” Feliciano said watching as Ludwig walked to the pictures on the shelves.

“Is that Roderich?” Ludwig asked peering at the pictures. “Because I don’t think Roderich would have ever grown a beard.”

Lovino pointed to the picture Ludwig was looking at. “Is that your older brother Roderich?”

Gilbert looked surprise. “Yeah, it is.”

“What happened to all our siblings?” Ludwig asked. 

Feliciano repeated the question for Gilbert.

Gilbert sat in the other chair. “Well Roderich became a musical sensation, travelled to Europe to perform concerts a lot. He married some girl; didn’t even invite us to the wedding might I add, they had children, and he died five years ago. Natural causes.”

“Vash? Well as soon as America went into World War II he joined the army, ignoring our parents protest might I add. He died somewhere in France or Germany, one or the other. They called him a war hero and gave him medals but none of it could make out mother stop crying.”

Gilberts eyes had a faraway look in them. “Lilia went to becoming a doctor, a pretty good one at that. Like Roderich she got married and had children. Her health was very frail though and her heart was weak. She passed away giving birth to her second child.”

“What about you?” Feliciano prompted when he saw Ludwigs face.

“Me? Well I became a teacher, a history one at that, except I was on the other side of the country. I just couldn’t stay in this tow anymore. I married, a wonderful woman named Elizaveta, and we had three kids. She died eight years ago. In our parents will they left me that house, I never even went back there, I couldn’t really, so I put it on the market and sold it to the first person who offered. I just wanted to get rid of it.”

“Is it because of Ludwig?” Lovino asked.

Gilbert nodded slowly.

“If you hate this place so much why did you stay here?” Feliciano asked. 

Gilbert coughed into his fist lightly. “I’m an old man kid, over a hundred. Besides, I was born in this town and by God I will die in this town.”

“Sir, I know that you don’t believe.” Feliciano said. “But I am telling the truth. And your little brother, Ludwig, he can’t move on sir.”

“First off, stop calling me sir. I’ve had enough of that.” Gilbert said. “Second off, I’ll play along. When you get to my age you’ll take something to get rid of being bored.”

Feliciano and Lovino shared a look with Ludwig as Feliciano bit his lip. He turned back to Gilbert. “Mr. Gilbert. How did Ludwig die?”

Gilbert froze. “The ‘ghost’ didn’t tell you?”

Ludwig looked annoyed. “No, he doesn’t remember.” Lovino said.

Gilbert looked towards the photograph once more. “It was some time in spring if I remember right. All of us, the siblings, were home after school and because it was still too cold to be outside we were sitting in the kitchen. We were bored, there was nothing to do and Lilia then suggested that we play hide-and-seek.”

“I volunteered to be the seeker first. Closed my eyes and counted to fifty. I managed to find everyone but Ludwig and we were all looking for him. We opened the door to the sitting room and all that met us was smoke and the servants were screaming. Apparently in the fire place on the other side of the house had gotten out of control without anyone noticing. And by the time we did half of the house was in flames. The servants grabbed us and dragged us out.”

Gilbert closed his eyes. “We were all coughing and wheezing so we didn’t notice anything but then I realized that Ludwig wasn’t there. When I saw that I tried to run back into the house but one of the servants was holding me back. I had to watch as the fire burned and the house collapsed knowing that my baby brother was still in there.”

He gave a heavy sigh. “They never found the body. If there even was a body to find.”

Ludwig looked pale and his lips and hands were shaking. “Where…does he know where my body was?”

“Do you know where the body was?” Lovino asked quietly.

Gilbert looked at them. “I have an idea but I can’t just say it. You want to know? I’ll have to go to the house and show you myself. Because to tell you the truth, I am over a hundred years old and I am tired of running away from my past. Regardless of what happened in it.”


End file.
